Honeycomb Hokey Pokey

Wow.  Writer's block.  I don't know what to say about Hokey Pokey. What is there to say about Hokey Pokey besides to put your left foot in and take your left foot out and put your left foot in and turn yourself around?  And that's what it's all about.  

Indeed.  That is what it's all about.  

Sorry about that.  

This recipe is actually pretty exciting!  As soon as you add the baking soda and begin stirring it foams like crazy because of science and chemicals probably.  It's only scary the first time, don't worry.  

 And I love having recipes like this in my back pocket if I want to whip something up quick and I don't want to leave the house.  I had everything on hand and this takes about 20 minutes, from start to finish.  The original recipe, from Nigella Lawson, doesn't call for honey roasted peanuts but I happened to have some on hand and thought they'd make a nice touch.  You could certainly leave them out, or just use plain peanuts, but they really provide an awesome texture (and salty element) and it makes the hokey pokey almost taste like peanut brittle.  In fact, next time, I'll probably add even more peanuts.

          

I will admit, the sugar mixture cooks QUICKLY towards the end and I burned the heck out of the first batch.  Like, my house smelled like burning.  And I tried tasting it anyway and I had to literally spit it out of my mouth.  Sooooo, maybe don't do that?  I'm here to make mistakes so you don't have to!  And that's what it's all about!  

Here's the recipe! 

Honeycomb Hokey Pokey

Ingredients

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/2 sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda  

1/4 cup honey roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions

1.  Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat (or foil sprayed with cooking spray) and set aside.

2.  In a medium saucepan off heat, stir together corn syrup and sugar. Place over medium-high heat and DO NOT stir from this point on.  Only swirl the pan to help the melting sugars combine.  Continue cooking until mixture begins to turn a light golden amber color (mine took about 5 minutes or so but the recipe says about 3 minutes).  Immediately remove from heat. 

3.  Add baking soda to the mixture and begin stirring vigorously.  The mixture will foam up quickly (Nigella describes it as "a whooshing cloud of aerated pale gold" because she's a damn poet).  Immediately pour onto silicon mat and spread a bit.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top.  Allow to cool 15 minutes to set. 

4.  Once set, smash or crack hokey pokey into desired sizes.  Store in an airtight container.  

Note:  This hokey pokey is similar to meringues in that it can get soft and lose its crunch in wet environments.  It's probably best eaten the same day but should keep overnight in an airtight container.  

Recipe barely adapted from Nigella Lawson